Mayday - MOB - Number of Persons Aboard

[JumbleDuck]

Er, what? Doesn't seem to make any sense.

Sorry. I'll try again.

Official version, historically:

Grave and imminent danger to vessel: Mayday
Urgency, including grave and imminent danger to life: Pan-pan​

Thirty years ago, RYA version:

Grave and imminent danger to vessel or life: Mayday
Urgency: Pan-pan
(Official version unchanged)​

Official version, nowadays

Grave and imminent danger to vessel or life: Mayday
Urgency: Pan-pan
(Official version changed)​

In other words, Mayday was only supposed to be used at sea when a ship was in immediate danger of sinking. Now it can officially be used for a MOB or a medical emergency. I don't suppose it makes much difference in practice, because if I had lost a crew member overboard before the change I'd have made any call I thought would get some help, including "Mayday", "Stop, thief" and "Fire!" and argued propriety later. I suspect most people would have done the same.

 

[Gary Fox]

PanPan, as I understand it and as I have used it, isn't exactly a less urgent version of Mayday. It can be used be to inform the CG, and anyone listening on 16, of a situation, which might *or might not* result in future danger.
Temporarily aground, fuel blockage, boat damage which you think you can probably fix shortly, for example.
It is just meant to inform, not trigger a lifeboat shout.

 

[Gary Fox]

Question: Does PanPan exist on SSB ?

 

[Uricanejack]

Pan Pan, May Day, Security all certainly existed on 2182. Radio Telephony.
Extinct.
As far as I know 2182 is no longer monitored by coast radio stations or vessels. Whether anyone would hear it on an Ham or enthusiastic band I wouldn’t know.

just trying too recall the other voice band. 3000 I think, monitored by aircraft, probably also defunct.

 

[JumbleDuck]

PanPan, as I understand it and as I have used it, isn't exactly a less urgent version of Mayday. It can be used be to inform the CG, and anyone listening on 16, of a situation, which might *or might not* result in future danger.

Isn't that Securité-securité?

 

[Stemar]

To me, securité would be for when I'm becalmed in a traffic separation scheme and the engine won't start. No immediate danger, but I would quite like everyone to pay attention to the fact that I'm there and can't get out of their way. Pan pan means it's urgent, but I'm not going to be swimming quite yet. When I injured my back in rough seas, the skipper used pan pan to arrange an ambulance to meet us.

 

[Gary Fox]

Isn't that Securité-securité?

I'm not sure, and it's fascinating that we have a range of views on a subject which you might expect to be sharply defined.

Of course, what might be one man's Mayday will be another man's Pan-Pan, depending on lots of facts and circumstances. Even whether you're fresh, warm and well-fed, or shivering, bruised and sleep-deprived could alter the call.

Securité: Personally, and I may be wrong, I thought it was for reporting things like a buoy dangerously out of position, or everyone's bogey-man, a shipping container awash.